building first 6

[69sixstang]

Im looking for any info , to help me build my first 6. This is what i have car 69 mustang, motor 66( by the numbers) 3 manual trans, hooker super comp headers, 79 head ports cleaned up and divider welded in. Also have offenhauser triple carb intake , and carbs all set up , came off a running car, but i will not be putting this on right away. Would like tips on building this motor, not a race motor!!! but would like it to be strong. Any body have any recommedation on a good street cam? im thinking 3.27 gears , have 2.79 in now. is the 400-500 really worth it for the upgraded distributer and wires set on this page? should i definitly put in the arp rod bolts? Anything else you fellow friends can help me out with will be greatly appreciated.
Mark

 

[addo]

Hey Mark,

I couldn't fairly comment on whether the distributor is "worth it" since that means so many different things to people - but a thorough ignition upgrade is always good practice. By that I mean, a hotter coil, some sort of module that can feed it, and a recurved distributor to suit the drivetrain and car's operation. New plug wires are generally advised after a few years service.

Being the slightly larger, heavier '69 body, you are starting from a little behind with the 200. For no overdrive on the trans and a street driver, I reckon the rear nominated (3.27:1) is pretty good - assuming the tyres are a normal enough size. Work backwards from rolling diameter to get the operating RPM ranges at street speeds - let that be your cam selection guide.

I would also tickle up the handling of your car; this will make it "feel" faster and help keep the pace on twister roads. Avoid urethane ("poly") bushings in the lower arms, strut rods, and sway bar endlinks. Everywhere else they're good; much more responsive than rubber.

Regards, Adam.

 

[mugsy]

Generally you should build the bottom end for durability and the top end for speed. Remember the three Cs for power: Cam, carbs and compression. Sounds like two of the three Cs have been handled. Please search this forum about cam shaft selection or talk to the vendor.

As for the bottom end, find a good machine shop that will take your rebuild seriously. Don't worry about forgded pistons, special rings, etc. Just buy good quality stock parts (pistons, rings, bearings, etc) and spend the money elsewhere. If I was you I would also buy a caliper and dial indicator. Check as much of the machine work without totally disassembling the short block. Also address the compression with the short block rebuild. I went with a zero deck on the block, plus milled the head (its off a '77 250ci) to get around 9.3:1 compression.

As for the DUI, I used one on my *other* project car, and still think it was one of the best upgrades I did, dollar-for-dollar. I'm saving my pennies for one for my Mustang.

 

[Anonymous]

and exhaust...get the air out

 

[XFlow_Fairlane]

man I wish I had this CFI setup finished just to know if it will work...

I put in some ARP rod bolts. a set is not very expensive and well worth replacement over the stockers. I was going to do main studs but figured that there are 14 bolts holding in the crank vs 10 on a V8. even though they have been cycled I doubt it has been enough to put any wear on them.

rod bolts undergo the most stresses in an engine....they are also the most common to fail. most rod failures go back to a failed rod bolt.

my latest turbo motor i started building was just a re-hone on stock pistons and some fresh rings and bearings. 90-10 deal. you can get 90% of the way there for 10% the effort. the bore was fairly clean so didn't warrent a rebore in my opinion (or the cost) for a motor I was only going to run a couple years (not at all now...)

 

[rbohm]

8) like the others have said, start by building a solid and reliable bottom end. you dont need forged pistons though, unless you plan on using a heavy shot of nitrous or are planning to build a lot of boost(10+psi).

for a cam i recommend using one from www.classicinlines.com. they are ground by clay smith, and you wont find one better imo. pick one that works in the 1000-4500 rpm range, and run a 110-112 lobe separation angles. this will trick the engine into thinking it has higher compression than it really does, so be careful when milling the head for more compression so you dont have too much cylinder pressure.

as for the ignition, the DUI ignition is worth the money since it is a self contained performance ignition that you can buy parts for it just about anywhere.

also save your money and buy mikes new aluminum head. it is well worth the money. i would use the 4bbl intake and a 390cfm holley 4bbl carb.

you also want a decent header and exhaust system. mike sells headers also.

with a little work you can have an engine that makes decent power and mileage.

 

[Patrick66]

man I wish I had this CFI setup finished just to know if it will work...

I put in some ARP rod bolts. a set is not very expensive and well worth replacement over the stockers. I was going to do main studs but figured that there are 14 bolts holding in the crank vs 10 on a V8. even though they have been cycled I doubt it has been enough to put any wear on them.

rod bolts undergo the most stresses in an engine....they are also the most common to fail. most rod failures go back to a failed rod bolt.

my latest turbo motor i started building was just a re-hone on stock pistons and some fresh rings and bearings. 90-10 deal. you can get 90% of the way there for 10% the effort. the bore was fairly clean so didn't warrent a rebore in my opinion (or the cost) for a motor I was only going to run a couple years (not at all now...)

i might sound really stupid for asking this, but is it possible to replace them without pulling the motor.

 

[XFlow_Fairlane]

you can but it is REAL tough to do.

much easier to just pull it. I had a leaky rear on my first build and just pulled the motor back out instead of trying to deal with it in the car. putting a motor in that is all setup for that car is not too bad to do. just putting in one that needs different brackets here and there, different wiring, heater hoses, etc is what takes longer.